Monday, April 30, 2012

International Jazz Day 2012

Martin Luther King Jr. once said that “jazz speaks for life.” This is the spirit of the
first International Jazz Day.
Jazz has defied almost every attempt at definition. The music critic John Fordham
may have captured it best when he described the music of Miles Davis as “the
sound of the skipped heart-beat, the caught breath, the sudden smile.”
Jazz is music of boundless creativity. Mixing composition and improvisation, the
formal and informal, it renews itself every time it is played. Born in the United
States, jazz is owned by the world. Rooted in African traditions and drawing on
European musical forms, it has taken on new shapes in cultures across the globe.
Jazz makes the most of the world’s diversity, effortlessly crossing borders and
bringing people together.
Jazz has been a force for positive social transformation throughout its history, and it
remains so today. This is why UNESCO created International Jazz Day. From its
roots in slavery, this music has raised a passionate voice against all forms of
oppression. It speaks a language of freedom that is meaningful to all cultures. The
same goals guide UNESCO in its efforts to build bridges of dialogue and
understanding between all cultures and societies. We work with governments and
societies and also with artists, including Herbie Hancock, UNESCO Goodwill
Ambassador. Making the most of cultural diversity is a task we all share.
This is why this first International Jazz Day will be celebrated with concerts across
the world, from Muscat to Moscow, Yerevan to Havana, Paris and New York to New
Orleans. Each of these concerts will display the power of jazz to enhance human Message from Ms Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO on the occasion of the International Jazz Day 30 April 2012 Why International Jazz Day?
Jazz breaks down barriers and creates opportunities for mutual understanding and tolerance;
Jazz is a vector of freedom of expression;
Jazz is a symbol of unity and peace;
Jazz reduces tensions between individuals, groups, and communities;
Jazz fosters gender equality;
Jazz reinforces the role youth play for social change;
Jazz encourages artistic innovation, improvisation, new forms of expression, and inclusion of traditional music forms into new ones;
Jazz stimulates intercultural dialogue and empowers young people from marginalized societies.

PROGRAMME:

Friday, 27 April 2012 - UNESCO Headquarters, Paris
This programme may be subject to modification

Opening of the first International Jazz Day:
10.00 – 10.30, Miró Halls
By Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, and Herbie Hancock, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador
Events all day long
Live coverage by French Paris TSF JAZZ radio
Photo exhibitions by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History and Philippe Lévy-Stab (Miró Halls)
Duke Ellington photo exhibition by the Maison du Duke in partnership with the Académie du jazz, France (Foyer)
Screening of photo montage by Blue Note Records (Foyer)
Montreux Jazz Lounge
Hosted by the Montreux Jazz Festival, with screening of legendary performances (Pas Perdus Room)

10.30 – 12.30, Room II
“Jazz and Cinema: Great Stories of an Old Couple”
Hosted by the Académie du Jazz, featuring:
Bertrand Tavernier, Film Director
Vladimir Cosma, Soundtrack Composer
François Lacharme, President of the Académie du Jazz, Paris
Julien Delli Fiori, Director of FIP radio station
Thierry Jousse, Radio Producer, Director and Film Critic
John Edward Hasse, Curator of American Music, Smithsonian Institution

14.30-15.30 Room X
“Jazz as a Voice of Liberty – its Role in the Struggle for Democracy” Hosted by the Permanent Delegation of Germany to UNESCO, featuring:
Martina Nibbeling-Wrießnig, Ambassador, Permanent Delegate of Germany to UNESCO - Moderator
John Edward Hasse, Curator of American Music at
the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum
of American History
Daniel Konrad, Jazz Expert (Czech Republic)
Rainer E. Lotz, Jazz Expert (Germany)
Nicolas Pflug, President Blue Note Records
Tomasz Tluczkiewicz, Jazz Expert (Poland)

15.30, Room IV - LIMITED ACCESS (150 seats)
“Global Jazz and Peace”, by Danilo Perez and Wayne Shorter
Live from New York City
Organized by the Berklee Global Jazz Institute